HRW sounds alarm on UAE Brotherhood trial

Human Rights Watch (HRW) issued a statement on Monday raising concerns about the upcoming trial of 20 Egyptians in the United Arab Emirates.

The Egyptians — who are accused of running an Abu Dhabi-based branch of the Muslim Brotherhood, a banned group in the UAE — are slated to stand trial alongside 10 Emiratis on November 5 in a UAE state security court.

The defendants have accused the UAE authorities of subjecting them to torture in detention and denying them access to legal assistance for several months, according to the statement.

HRW links the trial to a UAE court’s verdict last July, when 69 people were found guilty of attempting to overthrow the country’s political system.

The incident “calls into question the ability of the country’s judicial system to uphold basic rights of free speech and peaceful association,” HRW asserted.

Those convicted in the July case were exercising their legitimate rights to free expression and association, Human Rights Watch concluded after reviewing the court’s reasoning.

The rights group criticized the lack of evidence on which the court based its ruling, save for one confession by one defendant, who had been kept in an undisclosed location by authorities for five months after his arrest. In the courtroom, the defendant denied all charges.

“The court’s judgment exposes the rank injustice of the convictions,” Joe Stork, HRW’s deputy Middle East director, wrote in the statement. “Aside from one apparently coerced confession, the judgment describes a political society advocating social justice through peaceful political reform.”

The bulk of the evidence focuses on the peaceful political activities of the accused, and their ties to Islah, an Emirati Islamist group that the UAE authorities claim is a branch of the Muslim Brotherhood, according to HRW.

In the statement, HRW said the right to freedom of association guarantees everyone the right to join with others to attain a particular objective. It cited Article 24 of the Arab Charter on Human Rights and Article 33 of the UAE Constitution which protect this right, albeit with the caveat that it is only guaranteed “within the limits of the law.”

“This judgment sends a message to Emirati citizens that engaging in free-thinking political debate and criticizing their government are treasonous acts,” Stork said. “In the current repressive climate the best way for Emiratis to stay out of jail is for them to exercise their right to remain silent.”

Relations between the UAE and Egypt were strained following the election of Muslim Brotherhood candidate Mohamed Morsi as president in 2012. The UAE welcomed Morsi’s ouster last July and has repeatedly expressed support for the new military-backed interim government.